A review of reported effects of pelagic longline fishing gear configurations on target, bycatch and vulnerable species

A meta-analysis of 40 publications totalling 59 experiments was undertaken to review and assess the effects of changing the hook (circle vs. J-hooks or tuna hooks), bait (fish vs. squid) and leader (wire vs. nylon) type on retention and at-haulback mortality rates of teleosts (tunas and billfishes), elasmobranchs and sea turtles caught on shallow-set and deep-set pelagic longline fisheries. Circle hooks are a promising approach to mitigate the impact of pelagic longline fisheries on sea turtles, as they reduced sea turtle retention rates. The adoption of circle hooks would, however, also lead to a decrease in swordfish retention, the main target species of shallow-set pelagic longlines. Using fish as bait resulted in lower retention rates of sea turtles, highlighting that option as an additional measure to further mitigate sea turtle bycatch. The bait type had non-significant effects on sharks, except for blue shark and shortfin mako, for which at-haulback mortality rates were significantly higher with fish bait. The use of nylon leaders instead of wire leaders could serve as a conservation measure for sharks, as they reduced the retention of blue shark without adversely impacting the catches of swordfish. The results on the effect of the leader material types should, however, be interpreted with caution owing to the limited information available reporting on leader material effects. When considering future research directions, priority should be given to experimental field work on the effects of leader material and on deep-set longlines. Evaluating the post-release survival of species should also be a priority.